March 13, 2023 / CONTESTS / By fennthornbot
Under a different name, I got an honorable mention is this contest back in 2022.
Clarity (noun)
Four definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories
to tell:
1) Coherent and intelligible
2) Transparent or pure
3) Attaining certainty about something
4) Easy to see or hear
Clarity features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.
The rain is coming down hard. I step out onto the street, dodging a puddle, my drone hovering above me.
“Activate umbrella.”
I’m late for our date. He’s going to be angry. Tapping my left temple, the holographic visualizer appears.
Swiping my pupils from right to left, I initiate a search. “Locate Nick.” A red dot blinks showing me that he’s at our favorite café. Shit!
Swiping my pupils down to the lower right, a smaller screen pops up. I’m still being followed. Shit! Shit! Shit!
I swipe back to the left. “Message Nick.”
“Please state the message?” The two pursuers are getting closer. “Hi, baby. Sorry. I’m running late.” I pick up my pace.
“Send.” I cross the street, step into an alley, and slip the small, magnetic package under the dumpster. “Activate wardrobe change: favorite outfit one Saturday.”
I leave the alley, avoiding another puddle. I stop in front of a shop window. My beard had been recently trimmed, but the holographic program transforms me into a hipster: fauxhawk, unkempt beard, black faux leather jacket, skinny jeans, and, of course, my red shoes.
“Message from Nick: Okay. But, hurry up! Love your face.”
I look at the small screen. The two police officers emerge from the alley. Shit! Stay calm.
…
To read the rest, pick up a copy of Clarity. Or, alternatively, you can check back here to find the story when I’m cleared to publish it…sometime in 2024.
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